Overview

The Suzuki Vitara has been around for decades now, but over the years it’s morphed from a rough-and-ready miniature 4×4 into a softer-edged family SUV. It still retains much of the same character as its predecessors, though, maintaining Suzuki’s trademark lightweight construction and range of clever touches that both distance it from the rest of its class and lend it a bit of desirability.

Eye-catching looks, a reasonably roomy interior and a well-earned reputation for reliability and longevity means the Vitara has plenty of feathers in its cap to begin with. That it’s available with optional four-wheel drive for a little genuine capability off-road is another plus point, and sets it aside from exclusively front-wheel drive rivals such as the Peugeot 2008, Ford Puma, SEAT Arona and Skoda Kamiq.

In fact, the Vitara’s closest rival would seem to be the S-Cross, Suzuki’s other compact SUV, which trades a little style for a better engine lineup and greater practicality.

Suzuki recently added a full hybrid model to the Vitara range, which sits above its existing mild hybrid ‘Boosterjet’ unit. This makes for quite a simple lineup – if you want a manual gearbox, you can have the Boosterjet, and if you need an automatic you’ll get the hybrid. Both are available with four-wheel drive.

Straightforward trim levels make picking a Vitara even easier, and equipment levels are generous throughout with all cars getting lots of safety equipment as standard. And if you were worried about the Vitara’s reliability and longevity, Suzuki now offers the car with a competitive seven-year warranty.

But the Vitara falls down in a few key areas that will give it a hard task competing against its mostly European rivals. Apparent quality in the interior, performance on the road rather than off it and the strength of its hybrid system are all factors at play here.

Over the next few pages we’ll go into detail on the Vitara’s practicality, interior, running costs and engines before offering our final verdict on the car. We’ll even offer you our thoughts on spending six months with one as a daily driver.